Donna McKeown, 47, was found slumped in the front seat of a Dodge Avenger in Kansas City, Missouri, on the morning of November 25, 2018. Police were dispatched to a residence in the 3400 block of East 54th Street around 5:49 a.m. after a reported shooting. McKeown had a gunshot wound to the left side of her neck, was taken to a hospital, and later died. The Jackson County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide and reported no evidence of a close-range shot, a detail that contradicted any suggestion of suicide.

Investigators questioned Damon D. Kerr, then 43, who was at the home and is the father of McKeown’s three children. Kerr gave conflicting accounts about McKeown’s movements that night and denied shooting her. A police search of his cellphone after he consented uncovered text messages to McKeown and a Google search for how to remove gunshot residue from hands; those items were cited when charges were filed in February 2019. Kerr was charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action; prosecutors requested a $150,000 cash bond.

A jury convicted Damon Kerr of second-degree murder and armed criminal action at a March 2022 trial; he was scheduled for sentencing on May 6, 2022. Donna McKeown was remembered as a happy person who smiled often and cared deeply for her children. Does anyone have information about McKeown’s last hours or saw her in the neighborhood that morning?